


The Importance of Baterswort in Love Magic

by Silex



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Herbalism, Love Potion/Spell, Magic School, Magical Accidents, Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:55:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23551150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silex/pseuds/Silex
Summary: Arietta had begged the teacher that she be allowed to work alone, she’d refused to budge on it.“This class isn’t just about showing that you can grow herbs, harvest them and understand how to use them,” she’d said, “It’s also about demonstrating your ability to work in a coven. Besides, there isn’t enough space on the school grounds for each of my students to grow their own plot.”A coven of two, wasn’t a coven though, especially when Arietta couldn’t stand Hester.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17
Collections: Robot Rainbow 2020





	The Importance of Baterswort in Love Magic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [darlingargents](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingargents/gifts).



“Oh my goddesses,” one of Hester’s many friends gasped, helping to pull her away from Arietta. Like all of the pretty, vapid girls who followed Hester around she was trying to act like the perfect, stereotypical ‘good’ witch, even in the midst of a disaster during their final presentations for Applied Garden Witchcraft, which might have explained the exclamation that followed, “Persephone and Demeter protect us all!”

Arietta could have punched her for that. She knew for a fact that the girl didn’t come from a tradition to invoke either of those goddesses and was just doing it for show. In fact the only thing stopping her from taking a swing at the girl was that the teacher was holding both her arms.

Actually, the teacher was supporting most of her weight because she was still weak in the knees from what had happened and if she’d been able to stand on her own or gather the coordination to pull free she probably would have lunged forward to get back to Hester.

Hester, who was still red in the face and breathless, the marks from Arietta’s hands still lurid on her pale throat and elsewhere…

Perfect, smart, beloved Hester, who moments ago had been on the floor, begging.

It was where Arietta would have liked to see her since the start of the school year, though not in the way it had ended up happening. Actually, at the moment she wouldn’t have minded it they resumed right where they’d been before being pulled apart.

They’d been building towards conflict the whole year, but Arietta never would have imagined things ending as they had.

Or maybe not ending. It was really just another reason to despise Hester.

The two of them had been assigned to work together randomly at the start of the year, and though Arietta had begged the teacher that she be allowed to work alone, she’d refused to budge on it.

“This class isn’t just about showing that you can grow herbs, harvest them and understand how to use them,” she’d said, “It’s also about demonstrating your ability to work in a coven. Besides, there isn’t enough space on the school grounds for each of my students to grow their own plot.”

A coven of two, wasn’t a coven though, especially when Arietta couldn’t stand Hester.

It wasn’t as though she resented her for her looks or talent, not when Hester was exactly what you imagined when you thought of a witch. Overly strong nose, hard gray eyes, a streak of white already visible in her bangs meant that Hester stood out in the midst of her pretty, shallow friends like a hawk amid doves. They only followed Hester around because she came from a long line of Hedge Witches. She had magic, real magic, potent magic that came naturally to her.

Arietta on the other hand had to work hard for her magic, careful rituals, constant working of small spells to gain what she needed and the slow, careful accumulation of power. She didn’t have any witches that she knew of in her family, though her great uncle had talked to the dead and was on speaking terms with several powerful spirits, none of whom would so much as acknowledge Arietta when she saw them during family reunions.

The only reason she was even taking Garden Magic, despite the fact that it wasn’t geared towards solitary practitioners, was to grow her own herbs for her own spells, because that ownership would add to the potency.

From the start things had been rocky, quite literally. While prepping their garden plot Hester had called the stones out of the earth, while Arietta had needed to hoe and pick them up by hand. She’d stacked them well though, in a combination of warding and strengthening signs to discourage garden pests both seen and unseen, and encourage the plants to grow.

Hester had watched her though it all, silent, but clearly wanting to say something. Too good for her own good, all she’d done was adjust a few stones to make them stand more solidly and as much as Arietta wanted to fault her for that she couldn’t.

Arietta had been the one to determine the days and times to plant the different seeds, taking into account the phase of the moon, the position of the stars and what spoke to each type of plant. Because it was tedious book work, Hester hadn’t helped her at all, though she did come out late at night to plant the seeds that were strengthened by moonlight and she’d done so without complaint.

As the plants grew Hester had used her magic to encourage them while Arietta relied on her own research on gardening. She didn’t have the magic to spare, but she could mulch between the rows and pull up weeds, carefully drying those that had any use in spells and rituals. Or for making tea. A nice cup of tea was always relaxing after dealing with Hester and someone’s chamomile had spread across several plots after some careless sowing.

It was little things like that that helped, not just with grades, but with magic in general, gaining advantage from someone’s mistakes and picking up the things that others might not notice to gain what you could from them.

Their garden had grown well, but there was so much more to Applied Garden Witchcraft than simply growing the plants.

Their teacher had a seemingly endless number of carefully dried herbs, roots and powders that they were all expected to be able to identify by sight, as well as scent and taste when applicable. Needless to say, pop quizzes were frequent and intimidating.

Then, for their final presentation they were expected to be able to combine all of that knowledge into a ritual, spell, or potion and give a presentation with their partner.

Because of that stupid, awful, coven requirement.

It wasn’t the kind of magic that Arietta did so she’d been at a loss for ideas.

But of course Hester, popular, beloved Hester, with all of her friends and boyfriends, had an idea.

They’d make sachets of different sorts and explain the mix of plants in each and how those plants worked together to strengthen and modify magic towards a purpose. That, Hester, had said with the utmost confidence, would work with both their strengths.

It was a good idea, Arietta had to admit that, combining research and hands-on technique, especially since she enjoyed sewing and making the pouches for the different herbs was actually relaxing.

Picking different colors of cloth and thread to work best for the different magics was enjoyable for her and that Hester couldn’t sew at all only provided added pleasure. Watching her prick her fingers over and over again, struggle to thread a needle after dropping it for the umpteenth time and hardly being able to manage an even stitch left Arietta struggling not to laugh.

There was something, it seemed, at least one thing, that Hester couldn’t do.

By the end of it all Arietta was actually proud of what they’d managed. She already knew, from overhearing gossip between Hester’s friends, that Hester was at the top of the class, which meant, since grades were shared between partners, Arietta was also receiving best marks. Even if it was an accomplishment shared by someone she couldn’t stand even to look at, it was one she could take pride in.

And then came final presentations.

Hester had been holding up one of their sachets to talk about it, one that she’d made, full of herbs to find and strengthen love, because of course Hester would be interested in things like that. She’d talked endlessly about it until Arietta was sick of hearing about bindweed and angelica, lucerne and burdock and their uses in magic.

It at least explained why Hester was able to have boyfriend after boyfriend despite not being traditionally pretty. She was popular though and had strong magic that went back generations, so of course boys would pretend to ignore that. She’d put spells on them, and then, because she wasn’t pretty enough for them, they’d leave her and Hester would find a new one.

At least Arietta had figured her out there.

It was something she could bring up later, for the humiliation that Hester’s clumsiness had caused her.

Hester had seen that there was a pin stuck in the sachet, because of course there was. It was one that she’d made and she didn’t know sewing. She’d laughed, explained that it wasn’t supposed to be there, and pulled it out.

And because it was Hester who’d sewn it, Hester who knew nothing about sewing and had needed to ask Arietta to teach her how to thread a needle and then to hold her fingers in place to show her how to hold it, the pin was the only thing holding the bottom of the sachet together.

Just as she was saying that she’d added extra baterswort to it, a plant designed to redirect anger into frenzied passion so that even mortal enemies would feel binds of love, she pulled the pin out.

Arietta had been about to open her mouth to ask what baterswort was, because it wasn’t anything they’ve grown in their garden plot or even talked about.

The finely powdered herbs spilled out, surprising Hester so badly that she fumbled the sachet, further spreading the pale silvery, green dust.

Because she was standing next to Hester, the two of them ended up coated in what must have been mostly powdered baterswort, whatever that was, given what followed.

Hester had let out a cry of alarm and grabbed Arietta. She’d gotten the worst of the dusting, being the one holding the sachet, which must have been why she then pulled her into a kiss.

And because of those stupid herbs, after a moment of shock, Arietta had returned the kiss, right there in front of the class.

From there, the baterswort and everything else removed all inhibition and Arietta found her hands working their way into Hester’s robes, pulling them open. Hester was, of course, doing the same to her and in the confusion the two of them ended up on the ground.

Maybe there was still some anger left that the baterswort couldn’t redirect, because when Arietta ended up on top she grabbed Hester and tried to force her to…

She wasn’t actually sure what she’d intended, because Hester ended up between her legs and…

Arietta had been dimly aware of the screaming of her classmates, the teacher trying to restore order and keep everyone back in case they end up exposed to the contents of the sachet, but it was all far away and irrelevant compared to what the herbs made her feel.

It was more than any of her protective magics could handle, they were burned away so fast that she didn’t even feel them activate as Hester attacked her, grabbing her thighs and…

Except it wasn’t really an attack, not when Hester pressed her face between Arietta’s legs and began to…

She couldn’t have learned that trick from any of her boyfriends.

Arietta had let out a wail and pitched forward, which gave the teacher the chance to grab her and pull her off Hester.

Hester clung to her, desperate to continue what she’d been doing with her mouth.

Caught up in the effect of the herbs, Arietta had, of course, tried to get back to her, managing to spin around and kiss Hester right on the mouth before one of Hester’s many followers overcame her fear and grabbed her to pull her away.

Which was how they’d ended up where they were now, breathless and shaking, held apart while struggling to get back to each other.

The front of Hester’s robes were completely torn open, more handprints visible on her pale breasts. Arietta couldn’t remember grabbing her there, which was a shame, because she wanted to know what it had felt like to grab her and squeeze that hard to leave marks.

In fact, if she could break free…

She couldn’t though, the teacher had her in a death grip.

Hester on the other hand, was able to twist her way out of her torn robes and rush forward, grabbing Arietta for one last, passionate kiss.

When the teacher and other students tried to pull them apart, Hester clung to her, grinding against her in desperation, grabbing Arietta’s hands guiding them down, between her legs and…

From her own solitary endeavors Arietta knew exactly what to do, pressing and rubbing the places she knew felt good. Hester gripped her tighter still, shaking and sobbing with pleasure out as her friends grabbed her and pulled, while others tried to push Arietta away.

Finally it was too much, just as Hester threw back her head and cried out, she was pulled away.

Desperate, she grabbed Arietta’s hand one last time, their fingers intertwining before they were pulled roughly apart.

It was only afterwards, when Arietta had a chance to calm down and the teacher had given her a spare cloak to throw over her shoulders before walking her to the showers, that Arietta realized that Hester had left something in her hand, something that she’d been gripping tightly the whole time.

A little piece of paper, folded over and over again.

Arietta was tempted to throw it to the floor, but curiosity won out.

She unfolded it and, in small, precise writing, because even Hester’s handwriting was annoying, was a note.

_Baterswort isn’t real. I’m sorry, but it was the only thing I could think of to do that._

Arietta tried to be mad, but real or not, baterswort worked exactly as Hester had described.

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who wrote this last night and apparently didn't finish posting?


End file.
